BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS

BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS

Inquiries Any submissions, comments or inquiries regarding this Framework should be directed to the following: Postal Address: Directorate of Public Service Management P Bag 0011 GABORONE Telephone: 3622600 Fax: 3971293 Email: Director-DPSM@gov.bw BPR-DPSM@gov.bw 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD...3 BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE VISION...4 BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE MISSION STATEMENT...4 BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE VALUES...4 1. INTRODUCTION...5 2. WHY PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS)...5 3. WHY BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING (BPR)...6 4. THE BPR SCOPE OF FRAMEWORK...6 5. BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE GUIDING PRINCIPLES...6 6. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS...7 7. THE STANDARDS...7 7.2.1 CUSTOMER FOCUS...8 7.2.2 INTERNAL FOCUS...8 8. MONITORING OF STANDARDS...8 9. THE WAY FORWARD...9 10. CONCLUSION...10 ANNEXURE 1 GENERIC STANDARDS...11 1. ALL MINISTRIES AND INDEPENDENT DEPARTMENTS...11 ANNEXURE 2 UNIQUE STANDARDS...12 1. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION...12 (a) Department of Student Placement and Welfare...12 2. MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, WILDLIFE AND TOURISM...12 (a) Department of Wildlife and National Parks...12 3. MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING...12 (a) Department of Supply...12 4. MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND HOME AFFAIRS...13 (a) Department of Civil and National Registration...13 (b) Department of Immigration and Citizenship...13 (c) Department of Labour and Social Security...13 5. MINISTRY OF WORKS AND TRANSPORT...14 (a) Department of Building and Engineering Services...14 (b) Central Transport Organization...14 (c) Road Transport and Safety...14 ANNEXURE 3 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR STANDARDS TEAM...15 ANNEXURE 4 IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES...16 2

FOREWORD The need for public services to be more customer-focused has never been greater. Customer satisfaction and customer experience are at the heart of any Government s strategy for public services reform. The reconstruction of services around key customers is the way to go for all Governments who value their customers and citizens. Many of us, of course, still struggle in the foothills of such inspiring peaks of ambition. The Botswana Public Service aims to provide high quality and efficient service to its customers. This Framework has been designed to provide a comprehensive benchmark against which the current level of service delivery can be assessed and will form a building block for improving the delivery of services to our customers. The Framework shows what best practice Public Service should look like, how it should work, what employee roles it requires and the work processes it needs. The Botswana Customer Service s Framework will help the Public Service provide efficient and consistent levels of service to its customers. These standards will assist the Public Service benchmark the efficiency of the services they provide to their customers and to help develop consistent levels of customer service nationwide. Government Entities (Ministries/Departments) who adopt the s will be able to identify where to start in moving towards the delivery of more efficient services, thereby determining how much progress they have made to date. This therefore provides an opportunity to prioritise services, allowing them to focus their effort and resources on achieving the improvements needed for priority outcomes. By setting and publishing our standards in this way, we are making it easier for ourselves, not just to continue to deliver a high standard of service, but to ensure that suitable standards continue to evolve in step with the changing needs of our customers. The road to success is always under construction. This framework marks the beginning of an era where the Public Service makes a commitment to its customers. This will facilitate the achievement of the national pillar of A Prosperous, productive and Innovative nation. It is our hope that the Botswana Public Service will measure up to external benchmarks and become the premier public service jurisdiction to benchmark against. M Molebeledi Oagile (Mr) Director Public Service Management 3

BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE VISION We, the Botswana Public Service, will provide a world class service that is efficient, effective, caring and responsive to local and global challenges BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE MISSION STATEMENT The Botswana Public Service exists to provide efficient and cost effective service for its customers and stakeholders through the formulation and management of Government policies. The Public Service will implement sustainable performance improvement programmes; provide essential services that are not otherwise accessible to the public; and create a sustainable and conducive environment for quality service delivery. The delivery of services will be provided in a caring, transparent, politically neutral, reliable, responsive, proactive and accountable manner and in partnership with stakeholders. This Public Service will have a supportive culture that is customer and stakeholder focused; that rewards performance and empowers all. It will be supported and driven by up-to-date Technology BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE VALUES - Commitment to excellence; - Self esteem; - Team work; - Timely delivery of services; - Cooperation; - Botho 4

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 During the last ten to fifteen years of the twentieth century, governments around the world were swept into a whirlwind of transformational change. Driven by these changes governments embarked on major change agendas, and the Botswana Government is no exception. 1.2 Public services face major challenges from social, economic and technological changes and from major changes in public attitudes and expectations. The Botswana Government wants public services for all that are efficient, effective, excellent, equitable, empowering and constantly improving. Achieving these goals would make significant progress towards the Government s wider objectives of greater social justice and a higher quality of life for all. 1.3 The Botswana Public Service has over the years introduced a number of change initiatives in order to meet customer expectations and the broader Government agenda. Despite these change initiatives there has been minimal corresponding improvements in the service delivery and hence the introduction of a Performance Management System (PMS). 2. WHY PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS) 2.1 In 1999 the Government introduced Performance Management System (PMS) in order to further improve service delivery. The implementation of PMS in Government brought with it the realization that service delivery is at the core of Government development efforts. The objectives of PMS were to: 2.1.1 Improve individual and organizational performance in a systematic and sustainable way; 2.1.2 Provide a planning and change management framework which is linked to budgeting and funding process; 2.1.3 Enhance Government capacity; and 2.1.4 Inculcate the culture of performance and accountability to manage at higher levels of productivity so as to provide efficient service delivery. 2.2 Since the introduction of PMS there have been some improvements in the delivery of services to our customers, though there is still an outcry that the Public Service is still not delivering to customer expectations. This is reflected in the Government of 5

Botswana Customer Satisfaction Survey for the Public Service of 2005, where the customer satisfaction level was 25%. 2.3 In its efforts to further improve service delivery and thus address the outcry, the Government introduced Business Process Reengineering as an initiative that would augment PMS. 3. WHY BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING (BPR) 3.1 The Business Process Reengineering initiative was introduced in March 2006 with the objective of improving service delivery by setting and monitoring public service performance standards thus creating and maintaining a waste-free Public Service. 3.2 In pursuance of its mandate, BPR will ensure that the Public Service is more flexible, responsive, efficient and effective in its service delivery. This is an integrated initiative that will not only focus the business processes, but will also address the service environment. 4. THE BPR SCOPE OF FRAMEWORK 4.1 The Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), under its Human Resource Management mandate will provide efficient and effective service delivery for; and in partnership with Government, Ministries, employees and other stakeholders. In pursuance of the DPSM mandate BPR will: 4.1.1 Develop and publish service standards. 4.1.2 Monitor and enforce compliance with and promote improvement in these standards. 5. BOTSWANA PUBLIC SERVICE GUIDING PRINCIPLES 5.1 The following guiding principles as embodied in the Public Service Charter will help the Public Service provide the highest levels of service to our customers. 5.1.1 Regard for public interest: - Consult our customers to identify their needs and develop our services to meet those needs. - Deal with our customers in a polite, helpful, open, and professional manner. - Recognise our customers rights. - Ensure physical access to our buildings is available to all. 5.1.2 Neutrality treat our customers fairly and consistently. 6

5.1.3 Accountability: - Develop and use best practices and procedures to achieve and maintain high standards of service delivery. - Better coordinate (internally and externally). 5.1.4 Transparency establish a complaints procedure. 5.1.5 Freedom from corruption avoid corrupt practices. 5.1.6 Continuity - lay the foundations of quality customer service through the provision of good working conditions for our staff. 5.1.7 The duty to be informed be knowledgeable about the policies and procedures of the Public Service. 5.1.8 Due diligence take pride in delivering efficient and effective service to the customers. 6. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS 6.1 DPSM consulted Ministries/Departments. The consultation took the following process: 6.1.1 Ministries/Departments were consulted through the reengineering exercise, where the DPSM together with the Ministries/Department set performance standards. 6.1.2 Both Ministries/Departments and the DPSM monitored the performance of the set standards through process audits. Reports emanating from these audits were discussed and a way forward was mapped to resolve problems identified. 6.1.3 s to be published were identified and discussed with Ministries/Departments through an engagement with the authorities. It was during this engagement that Ministries/Departments agreed on the standards in this framework. 6.1.4 The draft Customer Service s Framework was circulated to all Ministries/Departments and their comments were incorporated into the s Framework. 7. THE STANDARDS 7.1 The customer service standards in this framework were set and tested during the reengineering and auditing stages of the BPR exercise. The standards are in two categories; the generic and unique. Generic standards are those applicable across the entire 7

Public Service (see Annexure 1), while unique standards are those specific to Ministries/Departments (see Annexure 2). 7.2 The standards will enable the Public Service to: 7.2.1 Customer Focus (a) Deliver to its customers a consistent level of services. (b) Inform customers about service delivery expectations and solicit feedback from customers. (c) Play a leading role in driving customer service standards and in engaging people and communities in shaping future government activities and legislative framework. (d) Identify areas where customer services must integrate with other activities of the Public Service. 7.2.2 Internal Focus (a) (b) (c) (d) Prioritise the elements that are important, allowing them to focus their efforts and resources on achieving realistic improvements within a timebounded period. Hold its officers accountable for the attainment of these standards. Identify areas for improvement in the delivery of services. Measure and assess compliance with set standards. 8. MONITORING OF STANDARDS 8.1 In the age of alternative service delivery, ensuring services delivered on behalf of the Government are consistent and of high caliber is the key to ensuring that the Public Service can continue to meet citizen expectations of service. 8.2 Broadly, standards of service can be benchmarked and monitored in three categories: reliability, quality of delivery and customer service. Following the theory that what gets measured gets done; an efficient and effective monitoring and feedback system will be put in place to measure these categories. 8.3 Monitoring will be done through: (a) Internal and external process audits (b) Customer satisfaction surveys 8

- DPSM will conduct process audits twice a year and the results will be communicated to client stakeholders and published annually for public consumption. - Ministries/Departments will conduct process audits quarterly and the results will be used for internal improvements. - A customer satisfaction survey will be undertaken once in two years. - Ministries/departments will put in place a feedback system that will ensure constant feedback from customers and citizens. 9. THE WAY FORWARD 9.1 Successful companies view excellence in customer care as a strategic advantage, and recognize that their technology platform must support that commitment. Whether customers are internal or external, customer-facing employees must be empowered with information and tools to quickly and efficiently resolve issues and correspond across multiple communication channels. 9.2 Service delivery that is citizen-centred, multi-channeled, crossgovernment and proactively communicated is the hallmark of high-performance governments, and this is the route the Botswana Public Service should take. 9.3 In order to achieve the above, the Public Service needs to: 9.3.1 Build the ability to harness information across government and organizational silos, which will lead to a common view of the citizen. 9.3.2 Empower the frontline service providers with appropriate tools to represent their organizations well. 9.3.3 Develop capability to understand the needs and expectations of citizens and the nature of their interactions with the Government. 9.3.4 Align performance management frameworks to service delivery levels. 9.3.5 Recognise and celebrate good practices. This would foster the identification and celebration of good practices within Ministries/Departments. 9.4 The Public Service needs to develop the service delivery channels and operational models that are appropriate to each service and that meet the needs of citizens while remaining efficient and cost effective. 9

9.5 It is envisaged that a real-time Business Process Management System will be put in place to monitor customer service standards in the entire public service. This system will enable the Public Service to optimize its business processes and better deploy its resources thereby improving service delivery and reducing costs. 10. CONCLUSION 10.1 This Framework will continue to evolve as we become adept in service delivery and as our customers expectations change. Improvements in customer satisfaction, delivery of services and the engagement of employees will provide a guide for continuous improvement and the journey to public service excellence. 10

ANNEXURE 1 GENERIC STANDARDS These standards are applicable across the entire Public Service. 1. All Ministries and Independent Departments PROCESS Proposed Customer i Response to Correspondence 10 Internal/Public Procurement PROCESS Proposed Customer i Informal Tendering (P20000 and below) 10 Public ii Informal Tendering (P20001-P100000) (MTC) 22 Public iii Formal Tendering (MTC) 44 Public iv Formal Tendering (PPADB) 66 Public i Payment to Suppliers PROCESS Proposed Customer Local Supplier 10 Public Foreign Supplier 10 Public ii Application for Imprest (internal trips) 5 Internal Application for Imprest (external trips 8 Internal iii Retirement of Imprest 5 Internal i PROCESS Processing of Terminal Benefits Proposed Customer Advance on Gratuity (Industrial Class) 33 Internal Retirement / End of Contract / Resignation 66 Internal Death 66 Public 11

ANNEXURE 2 UNIQUE STANDARDS These standards are unique or specific to Ministries/Departments as listed below. 1. Ministry of Education (a) Department of Student Placement and Welfare i PROCESS Proposed Customer Payment of Training Expenses (Disbursement) Direct payment 5 Public Bank payment 10 Public ii Recovery of Student Loans 88 Internal/Publi c 2. Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (a) Department of Wildlife and National Parks PROCESS Proposed Customer i Application for Professional Guide/Hunter Licenses 48 Public ii Application for Trophy Dealer License 8 Public 3. Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (a) Department of Supply i ii PROCESS Maintenance of Furniture 12 Proposed Customer If spares in stock 3 Internal Spares not in stock 12 Internal Maintenance of Office Equipment If spares in stock 3 Internal Spares not in stock 12 Internal iii Order Processing (Warehousing) 5 Internal iv Processing of Loss Report Simple Write-Off 8 Internal Complex Write-Off 42 Internal

PROCESS Proposed Customer Surcharge without Appeal 39 Internal v Production of Uniform and Protective Clothing 72 Internal 4. Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs (a) Department of Civil and National Registration PROCESS Proposed Customer i Application for Change of Name 39 Citizens ii Application for Omang Gaborone and surrounding areas 8 Citizens Other Regions 10 Citizens Mobile registration 14 Citizens iii Application for Registration of Societies 14 Citizens (b) Department of Immigration and Citizenship i ii PROCESS Proposed Customer Application for Passport New Application 5 Citizens Renewal 5 Citizens Application for Visa New Application 7 Public Renewal 7 Public (c) Department of Labour and Social Security i PROCESS Application for Work and Residence Permits Proposed Customer Vetting (Gaborone) 15 Public Vetting (Regions) 22 Public No Vetting 10 Public Voluntary Workers 7 Public Dependants 7 Public ii Trade Dispute Resolution 22 Public 13

5. Ministry of Works and Transport (a) Department of Building and Engineering Services i ii iii PROCESS Air Conditioner Maintenance Proposed Customer If spares in stock 1 Internal Spares not in stock 12 Internal Electrical Maintenance If spares in stock 1 Internal Spares not in stock 12 Internal Plumbing Maintenance If spares in stock 1 Internal Spares not in stock 12 Internal (b) Central Transport Organization PROCESS Proposed Customer i Administration of Pool Vehicles and Drivers 2 Internal ii Boarding of Motor Vehicles 15 Internal iii Outsourcing of Maintenance 7 Internal iv Major Service of light Motor Vehicles If Spares in stock 2 Internal v Spares not in stock 5 Internal Major Repairs of light Motor Vehicles If Spares in stock 2 Internal Spares not in stock 5 Internal (c) Road Transport and Safety PROCESS Proposed Customer i Issuance of Public Transport Permits 39 Public 14

ANNEXURE 3 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR STANDARDS TEAM Members of this team must have thorough knowledge of the Ministry/Department and its services/products. GOAL: Facilitate the implementation of published customer service standards in Ministries and Departments. Manage the complaints procedure; Channel complaints to appropriate officers Assist in resolving minor issues Give regular feedback in the form of reports and statistics to relevant officers and management These duties/roles should be in the PDPs of officers concerned. Ministries and Departments will decide on the frequency of reports from this team. Timelines for dealing with complaints should be set and disseminated to all concerned. 15

ANNEXURE 4 IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES 1 Publishing service standards Each Ministry/Department will publish a set of customer service standards setting out the level of service its customers can expect. Each Ministries /Departments performance against the standards should be made available to customers. 2 Informing the Customer Each Ministry/Department will provide clear and straightforward information about its services and those of related service providers in a variety of ways, including the Internet and notice boards. The information will include the following: Officers to be contacted Phone and fax numbers Email address Updating of information should be undertaken every 30 days. 3 Service Accessibility Each Ministry/Department will make its services accessible to its customers by doing everything reasonably possible to make its services available to everyone including special provision for people with special needs. Ministries/Departments should ensure that there are directions to different offices within the building and premises are clean, comfortable and welcoming. 4 Consulting with customers Each Ministry/Department is encouraged to consult with and involve its customers and potential customers about how its services will be delivered, the quality of service they have experienced and their level of expectation. They will consult in a variety of ways and use their views to improve the services provided. The results of consultation should be reported to customers together with plans for service improvement. A team that will facilitate in the implementation of published standards, manage the feedback system and the complaints procedure and give constant feedback to management should be formed. 16

5 Polite and Helpful Staff Each Ministry/Department will ensure that staff are polite and helpful and that appropriate training in customer care is provided when dealing directly with customers. Staff must be identifiable and the wearing of name badges where appropriate should be a requisite standard. 6 Attending to Customers Each Ministry/Department will ensure that customers are seen without undue delay by setting a target for attending to customers with and without appointments. Customers should be informed of any likely delays. Procedures should be put in place to ensure that queuing systems are fair and flexible and that, where appropriate, waiting time information is provided. 7 Answering telephone calls Each Ministry/Department will ensure that telephone calls are answered quickly. The name of the organisation and that of the person answering the call should be given and the person answering the call should be able to deal with the enquiry or arrange a direct contact with an appropriate person who can. 8 Having a complaints procedure Each Ministry/Department will have a complaints procedure or procedures for services provided which should include its policy on redress. They should be publicised through a variety of means, including on the Internet and should be clear and straightforward with an option for independent review. Each Ministry/Department will set and report on targets for dealing with complaints. 17